Classic Red Riding Hood Cake from Germany

Have you ever heard of the red riding hood cake we have here in Germany? Well, it is a cake with a very red glaze, smooth as glass. Its shiny color reminds you of the red riding hood and hence it got its name from this tale.  The base of this impressive cake is like a marbled cake, which is dotted with cherries. The second layer consists of whipping cream mixed with quark and the third is a glaze made with cherry juice. Welcome to a German fairy tale!

I have to admit, I hadn’t eaten this cake until recently, which is a shame. It is so tasty! It is a German classic, however, my grandmother never made it and I never saw it in any bakery. It looks like it is one of these forgotten treasures we need to dig up again. Since it is a marbled cake with cherries, I knew that my husband would like it as we had a similar cake for our wedding. It is much lighter than normal cake as the “buttercream” contains a lot of quark and thus is a perfect cake for summer. Oh, and don’t skip this ultra shiny glaze! You will be surprised as to how easy it is to make.

Normally the cake is kept simple, you have the shiny third layer and that is about it. However, since I like to decorate cakes (not our apartment though), I kept some of the cream and piped on some little circles and also took some fresh cherries (sour ones!) to make it look even fancier. You don’t have to do that, it is completely optional. I find it looks so festive! And above all, it is really simple to prepare. If you are an experienced baker, it will take you about half an hour, the rest will be done by the oven and then the fridge.

Credit: Adapted from Brot und Rosen (in German)

Print Recipe

German Red Riding Hood Cake

Serves: One 20cm/8inch springform

This German red riding hood cake has a marbled cake with cherries as a base, which is followed by a layer of quark and whipping cream and is topped off with a shiny glaze of cherry juice.

Ingredients

• Cake Base
• 1 jar of canned cherries (350 grams of cherries without liquid)
• 60 grams of soft butter
• 90 grams of regular sugar
• 2 eggs
• 120 grams of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon of milk
• 
  
• Quark Layer
• 240 grams of heavy cream
• 70 grams of regular sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, see here how to make your own
• 1 package of whipping cream stiffener (leave out if not available)
• 300 grams of quark
• 
  
• Glaze
• 250 grams of cherry juice (from above can)
• 2 tablespoons of regular sugar
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
• About 9-12 sour cherries (optional)

Instructions

1

Heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and oil or butter a springform of 20cm/8inches. Drain canned cherries, reserving the liquid.

2

For the cake base cream the soft butter for a few minutes, then add the sugar and mix for another two minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and be sure to mix each for at least 30 seconds on high. Add the flour and baking powder and only mix until combined.

3

Spread half of the dough on prepared springform. Add cocoa powder and milk to the remaining half and mix until combied. Spread on top of the vanilla layer. Draw circles with a fork to create the marbled effect. Place cherries side by side in circled on top of the dough, gently pushing them in a little. You may have a few cherries left. Bake for about 30-35min, an inserted toothpick should come out clean. Let cool. Release from springform, but put cake back in for adding the other layers.

4

For the quark layer beat the cream with the sugar, vanilla extract and if you have the stiffener until very stiff. Briefly beat in the quark. Set aside about three tablespoons if you wish to decorate the cake with a few roses, this is optional. Spread the remainder on top of the baked cake.

5

For the glaze mix the cherry juice, sugar and cornstarch until you see no lumps. Briefly boil while constantly stirring. Carefully pour over cake, this is best done with the back of a tablespoon to create the right stream. Chill for a few hours or overnight. Then decorate with roses and place either a fresh cherry or leftover canned cherries on each. This is optional. Served chilled.

If you are interested in further cherry recipes, how about:

Black forest eclairs

Cherry chocolate mousse cake

Broken-up pancakes with cherry compote

Gluten-free cherry hazelnut cake

Classic black forest cake